Unlucky
by Mahersal
Summary: But Ryou has terrible luck. A violent smile flashed across Bakura's face. He chuckled throatily, a dangerous spark in his red-tinted eyes. "Happy Birthday, little Ryou," he whispered before disappearing back into the Ring. Birthday one-shot. Non-yaoi.


**A one-shot by Super Special Awesome Attack.**

**Pairings: None**

**Theme: Birthdays**

**Note: For the little bit with Yugi, I know the Millennium Puzzle wouldn't allow that, but just for the story's sake, put up with it. You'll see.**

**I wanted to write this yesterday, but time was not my friend. During a free period in school, this little plot bunny bit me. So here is a belated birthday one-shot for Ryou! And yay, this is my tenth story! PAR-TAY!**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to the super special awesome Kazuki Takahashi. I'm just a Malik fangirl. ^^**

* * *

**Unlucky**

A small smile crept over Ryou's face as the clock on the dark wall struck twelve.

"Happy Birthday, Ryou," he said quietly to himself. The clock flickered like a bad television signal before vanishing into the shadows, leaving Ryou in the dark.

:::^:::

White teeth gleamed in the low light, a feral smirk plastered across Bakura's face. Today was yadonushi's birthday and he wanted it to be the birthday of a lifetime.

:::^:::

Ryou's eyes fluttered open, the chocolate brown orbs wide with surprise and excitement. Since when did Bakura let him out of the confinement of his soul room? He glanced down at his chest, the Millennium Ring unresponsive and cold. One of the spindles shifted toward the bedroom door.

/_Spirit?_/ Ryou dared to talk to the other inside of him. Sometimes he could get a few words out of him, but the Spirit of the Ring was mostly quiet unless he was torturing Ryou.

Another spindle gradually pointed at the door.

Ryou sighed. The spirit wasn't going to answer him. He heard a faint creaking of a door from Bakura's soul room, but otherwise was silent. Ryou sighed again, this time of relief. As he tugged his white school shirt over his head, concealing his Ring, he wondered if Bakura was going to leave him alone for one day as a birthday present.

…and maybe pigs fly.

He was too caught up with the small joy that he didn't hear the low chuckle from the Ring.

:::^:::

Ryou was in high spirits as he walked to school from his apartment. His father left a message from Egypt saying that he may be home in the next few days. The weather was nice too, a cheery sun greeting him when he walked outside. Birds sang as they flew around the city and he received no strange looks from the people who have heard rumors about his past. By the time he arrived at school to see his friends hanging out on a picnic table in the front, he was feeling pretty lucky and had lofty hopes.

His luck had just run out.

As Joey spotted him and ran over to greet Ryou, the first spindle dug itself into Ryou's much-wounded chest. He let out a gasp of pain and his hand flew to the Ring. He took a deep breath before gently tugging at it, but the spindle only burrowed in deeper. He blinked his eyes rapidly and took a few short breaths, trying to calm down.

"Hey, Ryou!" Joey's sudden Brooklyn accent made Ryou jump. He quickly composed himself and forced a smile.

"Hello, Joey." He said, wincing a little.

"Happy Birthday!" Joey exclaimed, giving the white haired boy a noogie. Ryou almost smiled at the playfulness. Almost.

Then Tristan walked over, and another spindle inserted itself into Ryou's tender flesh. He bit his bottom lip to keep from yelping. A small rivulet of blood trickled down his chest. He hoped it wouldn't ruin his shirt.

But Ryou has terrible luck.

"Happy Birthday, man!" Ryou tried to widen his forced smile at Tristan's friendly greeting, but it came out more like a grimace.

"Thanks…guys," he gasped.

Tristan and Joey's happy expressions faded into confusion as they said in unison, "are you okay?"

"Yes, just-oh!" Another spindle implanted into his skin when Tea walked over to the little group.

"Happy Birth-" Tea stopped mid-sentence as shock washed over her, her eyes flying to his blue jacket. Ryou glanced down, feeling sick to his stomach at what he saw. His jacket was stained red with blood.

"What is he doing to you, Ryou?" she asked. Ryou didn't need to ask who the "he" she was referring to was. "Why?"

He was touched by his friends' compassion and care, but this was not their fight. Yes, the pharaoh would defeat Bakura, but in the meantime, he was Ryou's problem. He nodded his head in gratitude, but regretted it immediately when his head throbbed into a pulsing headache. "No really, guys. I'm quite…fine. I deal…with this all the time."

Azure, mahogany, and chestnut eyes glanced at each other before three voices called, "Yugi!"

Yugi looked up from his Duel Monsters deck and walked over to the group, cheerfully saying, "Happy Birthday, Ryou!"

Almost immediately, the last two spindles embedded themselves into Ryou's skin.

"Ah!" Ryou yelped, his hand once again leaping to the Ring. He pulled and pulled at it, but it held it's place, if not digging deeper. Yugi ran the last few feet, Puzzle bouncing on his chest, his bright violet eyes filled with concern.

"What is Bakura doing?" He asked.

Ryou took a few staggered breaths before unzipping his bloodstained jacket and lifting his scarlet soiled shirt up. The four gasps that came from his friends echoed through his ears, the sound almost as painful as the Ring in his chest. He suddenly felt weak, and dropped his arms to his sides. His eyes fluttered lazily as his right hand slowly moved upward to point at his friends.

"Penalty game." A rough voice that was not his own said. A black shadow slithered out of the grass and wrapped itself around Ryou's friends, engulfing them in darkness.

"No!" Ryou found his own voice, protesting as his friends faded in the black. He caught a brief glimpse of Yugi's Puzzle sparkling before the shadow took them away. The spindles of the Ring embedded themselves even deeper, almost disappearing completely, blood pouring from the tender wounds.

"No…" his eyes faltered, shutting as he collapsed on the ground from all the blood loss. The spindles loosened and fell, the crimson blood on them glistening in the sun as the Ring lay on the ground. The gashes healed themselves and a ghostly form appeared next to the unconscious boy. The spirit clicked his tongue and shook his unruly white head of hair disapprovingly. A violent smile flashed across his face. He chuckled throatily, a dangerous spark in his red-tinted eyes.

"Happy Birthday, little Ryou," he whispered before disappearing back into the Ring.

* * *

**That's a wonderful birthday present, Bakura! *rolls eyes* Usually people want a laptop or something, not watching their friends disappear into the Shadow Realm! Gah. Review?**

**Over and out,**

**Awesome**


End file.
